Step-By-Step: Put Together a Custom PC

Despite the wide selection and low prices of name-brand PCs, there are good reasons to consider the build-it-yourself route for your next machine. An off-the-shelf system, at any price, is essentially a compromise. It may meet your current computing needs, but if your requirements change and you want to upgrade it later, you may run into problems.

Don't expect your custom PC to save you big bucks over an off-the-shelf purchase. Building your own PC lets you match your system to your needs and your budget, giving you the most for your money. Do you need oodles of hard-drive space for your digital photos or video? Pop in one (or more) ultrahigh-capacity drives. Into high-end audio? Go for the gold with a cutting-edge sound card.

Home-built PCs can be a lot of work, but in the end you'll have a no-compromise system that's yours alone. The downside? You are your own help desk.

For this month's Step-By-Step, we put together a relatively high-end system, utilizing many of the latest components. Our system is just an example of one approach that you can take.

Our purpose here isn't to show you in excruciating detail how to build the system but rather to give you some tips on choosing the parts and pieces and avoiding problems when you put it all together. To read more-detailed PC assembly instructions, see "Build Your Own PC." You will also need to choose your display, a printer, and other components. For suggestions, see our Top 100 charts and read about the Best Buys.

The Top Down

Benefits: Get a custom PC tuned to your needs and wallet.

Cost: As low as $700 to $800 for a budget system; $5000-plus for a no-holds-barred, high-end system

Tools required: Phillips screwdrivers, needle-nose pliers, small flashlight, antistatic wrist strap (recommended)

Expertise: Intermediate to advanced